The Mouse With the Question Mark Tail

The smallest mouse in London’s Royal Mews is such a little mystery that he hasn't even a name. And who were his parents? His Aunt Marigold, Head Needlemouse, sews him a uniform and sends him off to be educated at the Royal Mews Mouse Academy. There he's called "Mouse Minor" (though it's not quite a name), and he doesn't make a success of school. Soon he's running for his life, looking high and low through the grand precincts of Buckingham Palace to find out who he is and who he might become. Queen Victoria ought to be able to help him, if she can communicate with mice. She is all-seeing, after all, and her powers are unexplainable. But from her, Mouse Minor learns only that you do not get all your answers from the first asking. And so his voyage of self-discovery takes him onward, to strange and wonderful places.

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I appreciate books that make me use a dictionary, and don't stick to the plainest of words. If you don't look up "susurration" when prompted by the young mouse, it will appear again! Other fun words: dewlaps, antimacassars.

A very well developed story that kept the interest of both my 10 year old and myself as we read it aloud. Interesting twists and turns. There is some language that is difficult to read/ understand,. By this I mean some British and Victorian terminology; push through it. I do recommend it highly.

"In this compelling follow-up to Secrets at Sea, award-winning author Richard Peck once again sweeps readers into a Victorian-era adventure set in a delightfully detailed animal society. Mouse Minor, a tiny orphan with no real name and a question mark-shaped tail, lives in the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace. Tired of being bullied by the other mice, he runs away in search of Queen Victoria, hoping that the wise monarch might give him a clue to his true identity. With its witty writing, plucky mouse hero, and backdrop of palace intrigue, The Mouse With the Question Mark Tail is sure to remind readers of Kate DiCamillo's The Tale of Despereaux, but has its own distinct charm." Kids' Books September 2013 newsletter http://www.nextreads.com/Display2.aspx?SID=5acc8fc1-4e91-4ebe-906d-f8fc5e82a8e0&N=682584

Mouse Minor is the smallest mouse in the Royal Mews. Richard Peck relates his aeventures from his MM's escape from two bullies in the mews until he finally meets Queen Victoria and learns the secrets of his past.